Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, August 29, 2007

[gogo]

Always the one to stir a pot, I say for those of you who rip the record, you suck ass.

You're really making friends and influencing people in this thread, aren't you? I'm going to take this one as "a joke", but seriously, simmer down or expect the moderators to start telling you how much you suck ass.

 

 

 

More importantly, yay Brennan! I'm downloading his recording now!

[kidsmoke]

NO WAY! TOM????

 

Nope, Brennan. He loves the techie stuff!

[Poppy]

Great show and venue! Anyone know where I might be able to score a poster? Cheers,

P

[gogo]

Poppy, welcome to VC!

 

I also missed out on getting a poster. Sometimes whatever's left over will show up in the musictoday shop, but I don't know about this one, since it did appear to be sold out. We may be stuck with eBay.

[aricandover]

You're really making friends and influencing people in this thread, aren't you? I'm going to take this one as "a joke", but seriously, simmer down or expect the moderators to start telling you how much you suck ass.

 

I could save you the trouble and tell him now.

[Ranglin]

I could save you the trouble and tell him now.

 

definately kidding with "suck ass". But since I said it, I'll take it...

[Poppy]

Great show and venue! Anyone know where I might be able to score a poster? Cheers,P

Thanks...I'll start searching.

Poppy, welcome to VC! :waveI also missed out on getting a poster. Sometimes whatever's left over will show up in the musictoday shop, but I don't know about this one, since it did appear to be sold out. We may be stuck with eBay.

Thanks GoGo!

[destijl-atmospheres]

I don't hear SBS as a return to anything. It sounds nothing like AM or Being There. It's definitely something new for them - I just don't like the direction. It just seems like where they would previously have taken Jeff's simple songs and arranged the hell out of them, here they just left them alone. I think if they would have decided to do this with a collection of songs like those on Summerteeth or Yankee Hotel it would have worked. However, their decision to do this seems to have coincided with Jeff not really having much new stuff to say. Lyrically and melodically, these songs are simply not interesting. Sue me. My other problem with SBS is that they've got incredible musicians like Glenn and John and the only person who shines on this record at all is Nels. IMO, Glenn's biggest asset is his creativity. He shows very little of this on SBS. In his recent interview in Modern Drummer he explained that it was because he was also making his own record and writing a piece commissioned by the Kronos Quartet so he got out all his creativity with those projects.

 

It's not a big deal. I just don't like Sky Blue Sky. It's not a case of them just trying to make another Yankee Hotel and failing miserably. That would be complete bullshit and would greatly hurt my opinion of the band. I applaud them for trying something new with SBS - I just don't like it. No problem - I'm still a fan, I'll still buy their next album.

 

By the way, anything negative I say about SBS doesn't count for "Side With the Seeds" and "Shake It Off". Those 2 songs are as good as anything they've ever done.

 

And Ranglin - I'm not attacking you for liking something I consider a very disappointing album, don't attack me for disliking an album you love.

[ChicagoPepper]

Aw man if this torrent show up in places other than dime could you let me know? Awesome show. Thanks!

[W(TF)]

yeah, the SBS debate.....in a way it brings to my mind some of Van Morrison's first records as a solo artist. Astral Weeks was his debut and an unquestionable masterpiece, long sprawling songs and a style that was very different from anything we'd heard anywhere else before. Pretty close to revolutionary. I guess one way to look at it is; if Summerteeth and YHF were Wilco's Astral Weeks...then AGIB and (especially) SBS are their Tupelo Honey and Moondance. Very fine records, though the songs are trimmed down and perhaps the production is just a bit too "done". Still, the songs are some of the best, and the albums as a whole are extremely satisfying and coherent. But it makes you wonder, how many Astral Weeks could Van have done if the powers that be hadn't been intent on making him a hitmaker? (not that it really matters...)

 

Dunno. Jm2c and keep the change.

[jimmyketchup]

RE: seating vs standing.

 

If the band have such a problem with seating, then why do they play/book all-seater venues?

[froggie]

However, their decision to do this seems to have coincided with Jeff not really having much new stuff to say.

 

Bob dylan was watching the river flow at one point, but he had a lot to say shortly after

[Mr. Kinsley]

The set started off great but once they got to Impossible Germany it was all downhill. Anyone else notice that they're just not rhythmically tight? They're speeding up all over the place. That didn't used to happen.

 

So you were the guy with the metronome and the notebook!

 

 

 

Yeah, I'm rather late to the party here, but I was out of town shortly after the show so haven't been able to check in here. Sorry, but this is long so my apologies ahead of time.

 

Of my only 3 problems with the show, 2 had nothing to do with the band.

1- The (lack of) Company

Never, ever, under any circumstance go to a concert by yourself. You feel dumb. You look dumb. You have no one to turn to and say, "Can you believe that Nels just did that!" Everyone I know that likes Wilco (read: 2 people) were either busy or had to go with a client for work. I thought about skipping it altogether and realize now I probably should have. It was nice to bump into Donna and Brennan, and it would have been just fine if I'd had pit tickets, but it was rather depressing.

 

2- The Crowd

LA is the national leader in douchebags per capita. Then again, everyone here seems to be from somewhere else, so who's problem is it, really? Yeah, they got to their seats late, but Richard Not-So-Swift played maybe 6 songs, Wilco started early, and in the middle of the week to leave work at a reasonable hour to get to the Greek with their horrible parking situation isn't easy. LA is very spread out, traffic sucks and it isn't getting better anytime soon. Even with all these reasonable excuses, you should be able to get there before 9 very easily. Because if you don't you'll just end up standing in the aisle in the dark RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. At that point it doesn't matter if I'm standing or sitting, you're just being annoying. But back to what I started this section with - there seems to be a gigantic contingent of hipster doofuses (doofi?) who come to LA Wilco gigs just because they're critically acclaimed and therefore to look cool, they feel a compulsion to attend and take up space. Part of that taking up space part was lighting up a joint in the seat in front of me and puffing on it so hard and sending up such a comically large Cheech and Chong-esque billow of smoke I couldn't tell if they were getting stoned or if the new pontiff would be addressing the crowd soon. Thank you for showing up to donate to the Sam and Spencer college tuition fund, but please, stay home next time.

 

3- The Set List

Now don't get me wrong, this was a great show and I have few complaints. I don't go to multiple shows per tour so I'm not joining the 'Hey that was the same set list as 5 shows ago!' crowd. I only have 3 songs that Wilco plays that I actively dislike, and they played 2 of them. Wishful Thinking and Stink It Up. If they'd have played Hotel Arizona it would have been the unholy trinity. I loved everything else but was disappointed at the lack of Monday, Misunderstood, Sunken Treasure, etc. Being There was woefully underrepresented IMHO. Everything else (especially the surprise addition of Too Far Apart) was very welcome.

 

Ben Kenobi - you posted a pic of your shirt the other day and it looked sort of beige. Was it actually more yellow and you got there plenty early? And the person with you was wearing a dark color, maybe black or burgundy? I think I could see you from across the theater, but I didn't want to walk all the way over and up there and have it not be you.

 

Big Perm - did you go solo? I realized part way through the show that the guy behind me was alone as well, and wondered if it was you.

[Ranglin]

I don't hear SBS as a return to anything. It sounds nothing like AM or Being There. It's definitely something new for them - I just don't like the direction. It just seems like where they would previously have taken Jeff's simple songs and arranged the hell out of them, here they just left them alone. I think if they would have decided to do this with a collection of songs like those on Summerteeth or Yankee Hotel it would have worked. However, their decision to do this seems to have coincided with Jeff not really having much new stuff to say. Lyrically and melodically, these songs are simply not interesting. Sue me. My other problem with SBS is that they've got incredible musicians like Glenn and John and the only person who shines on this record at all is Nels. IMO, Glenn's biggest asset is his creativity. He shows very little of this on SBS. In his recent interview in Modern Drummer he explained that it was because he was also making his own record and writing a piece commissioned by the Kronos Quartet so he got out all his creativity with those projects.

 

It's not a big deal. I just don't like Sky Blue Sky. It's not a case of them just trying to make another Yankee Hotel and failing miserably. That would be complete bullshit and would greatly hurt my opinion of the band. I applaud them for trying something new with SBS - I just don't like it. No problem - I'm still a fan, I'll still buy their next album.

 

By the way, anything negative I say about SBS doesn't count for "Side With the Seeds" and "Shake It Off". Those 2 songs are as good as anything they've ever done.

 

And Ranglin - I'm not attacking you for liking something I consider a very disappointing album, don't attack me for disliking an album you love.

 

my apologies...you have some interesting points, I just think it's a great album bottom line. Take care...

[Ranglin]

RE: seating vs standing.

 

If the band have such a problem with seating, then why do they play/book all-seater venues?

 

You'd probably have to ask Tweedy that question, because he's the one making comments about lame audiences. Or you could probably ask the vast majority of rock bands playing live music in small or large venues. Enthusiasm-ie standing, maybe dancing, maybe giving a hoop here and there, singing a few words (please keep this to a minimum), etc. feeds the people on stage, it's just how it is. Wilco and many bands love playing in the midwest and south because the audiences are so vibrant.

 

If somone wants to sit down for a show and is enjoying it, then fine, enjoy, but please don't have a problem if the guy in front of you is standing. It's pretty simple. And by the way, just because Wilco is booking seated venues doesn't mean they want their fans to sit, it's only an option, especially for the L.A. hipster dumb asses.

[blindgonzo]

1- The (lack of) Company

Never, ever, under any circumstance go to a concert by yourself. You feel dumb. You look dumb. You have no one to turn to and say, "Can you believe that Nels just did that!"

 

I think this point really depends on the person. I just went to 3 wilco shows and 1 Michael Franti show this past month by myself. I didn't feel dumb or embarrassed about being there by myself. If I only went to shows with friends then I probably would never go to shows, period. Most of my friends don't have the same musical taste as I do, and I'm not going to punish myself and not go to a show that i really want to go to, just because I'm alone. And besides, you're never alone when going to a show. There are thousands of other fans right beside you. I had an amazing time at each of the shows i went to, and will continue going solo when i need to.

[froggie]

I think this point really depends on the person. I just went to 3 wilco shows and 1 Michael Franti show this past month by myself. I didn't feel dumb or embarrassed about being there by myself. If I only went to shows with friends then I probably would never go to shows, period. Most of my friends don't have the same musical taste as I do, and I'm not going to punish myself and not go to a show that i really want to go to, just because I'm alone. And besides, you're never alone when going to a show. There are thousands of other fans right beside you. I had an amazing time at each of the shows i went to, and will continue going solo when i need to.

 

 

same here... plus there's the risk of your friends talking to you the whole way through or asking questions like "what song's this?" if they're not familiar with the music

[benjamin]

So you were the guy with the metronome and the notebook!

 

hahahaha

 

Never, ever, under any circumstance go to a concert by yourself. You feel dumb. You look dumb. You have no one to turn to and say, "Can you believe that Nels just did that!" Everyone I know that likes Wilco (read: 2 people) were either busy or had to go with a client for work. I thought about skipping it altogether and realize now I probably should have. It was nice to bump into Donna and Brennan, and it would have been just fine if I'd had pit tickets, but it was rather depressing.

 

Ben Kenobi - you posted a pic of your shirt the other day and it looked sort of beige. Was it actually more yellow and you got there plenty early? And the person with you was wearing a dark color, maybe black or burgundy? I think I could see you from across the theater, but I didn't want to walk all the way over and up there and have it not be you.

 

Yeah... it was yellow and I was there totally early. Kind of paranoid about traffic driving up from Irvine. I was up about 13 rows on one of the terraces. Bummer you didn't come flag me down. You could have been our concert buddy. We had two empty seats next to us the whole night. I go to quite a few shows in LA, if you ever need a concert buddy, I'm up for it

 

I loved everything else but was disappointed at the lack of Monday, Misunderstood, Sunken Treasure, etc. Being There was woefully underrepresented IMHO. Everything else (especially the surprise addition of Too Far Apart) was very welcome.

 

I had the same thought process on the lack of Being There. I loved the setlist, but I could have done without the song 'sky blue sky.' I'm not much of a fan of it. The only 2 I really wanted to hear that were not played were 'Misunderstood' and 'Thanks I Get'.

 

 

 

..... I'm starting to think that I need to change my name on here. Tastes have changed since I was a junior in high school.

[kidsmoke]

Of my only 3 problems with the show, 2 had nothing to do with the band.

1- The (lack of) Company

Never, ever, under any circumstance go to a concert by yourself. You feel dumb. You look dumb. You have no one to turn to and say, "Can you believe that Nels just did that!" Everyone I know that likes Wilco (read: 2 people) were either busy or had to go with a client for work. I thought about skipping it altogether and realize now I probably should have. It was nice to bump into Donna and Brennan, and it would have been just fine if I'd had pit tickets, but it was rather depressing.

 

Ken, it was great to see you, too, and I sorely wished I'd had another pit ticket so that you could have joined us down there! Brennan's recording turned out well, by the way, and is up at dimeadozen if you have a hankering to re-hear the concert.

 

Thinking of the wristbands that got people into the small pit area just reminded me of a funny moment at the show...I was wearing my sparkly sequined bracelet that night. Alissa and I made a restroom run just before Wilco's set, and heading back down to our places afterwards, we passed the security people checking tickets. As usual, I lifted my wrist and waved it at the woman as we passed...Alissa did the same...but, irritatingly, the woman called after me, "Ma'am? Ma'am? Your ticket??" So I paused briefly, to pull my sleeve up a bit so she could see my wristband. This is when I realized that I'd been waving my sequined bracelet at her. She and I both realized I'd been waving the wrong wrist at the same moment, and burst out laughing...she said something like, "Yeah, I was wondering..." I guess she'd been trying to puzzle out exactly who in the audience got the cool sequined bracelets, and why!

 

I told her, "But hey, isn't it a cool bracelet?!" We were still both laughing as I walked away. Also I was blushing a little.

[SarahC]

Thinking of the wristbands that got people into the small pit area just reminded me of a funny moment at the show...I was wearing my sparkly sequined bracelet that night. Alissa and I made a restroom run just before Wilco's set, and heading back down to our places afterwards, we passed the security people checking tickets. As usual, I lifted my wrist and waved it at the woman as we passed...Alissa did the same...but, irritatingly, the woman called after me, "Ma'am? Ma'am? Your ticket??" So I paused briefly, to pull my sleeve up a bit so she could see my wristband. This is when I realized that I'd been waving my sequined bracelet at her. She and I both realized I'd been waving the wrong wrist at the same moment, and burst out laughing...she said something like, "Yeah, I was wondering..." I guess she'd been trying to puzzle out exactly who in the audience got the cool sequined bracelets, and why!

 

I told her, "But hey, isn't it a cool bracelet?!" We were still both laughing as I walked away. Also I was blushing a little.

Sparkly bracelets are awesome!

 

is it bad I am still wearing my pit bracelet from Santa Barbara?

 

Very cool that Brennan recorded the show... was it his first recording? That's awesome!

[kidsmoke]

Sparkly bracelets are awesome!

 

is it bad I am still wearing my pit bracelet from Santa Barbara?

 

Very cool that Brennan recorded the show... was it his first recording? That's awesome!

 

You wear that pit bracelet until it falls off, girl. Good memories!

 

No, Brennan has been learning the recording process (and me along with him) since he got his rig for Christmas, after begging & begging & researching equipment for months. We got our share of screwed-up recordings along the way...par for the course, I guess, as it's all a learning curve. But now he is beginning to get consistently good recordings which I'm finding myself listening to a lot. I thought about recording at Santa Barbara and San Diego, but I suspected I would forget and sing along or whoop in appreciation. I'm not good about being really, really quiet at shows. So it's best if I let Brennan record.

[Preferred B]

I only have 3 songs that Wilco plays that I actively dislike, and they played 2 of them. Wishful Thinking ...

 

Were you there for soundcheck?

[Mr. Kinsley]

I think this point really depends on the person. I just went to 3 wilco shows and 1 Michael Franti show this past month by myself. I didn't feel dumb or embarrassed about being there by myself. ...

Yeah, but it's such a social event. It makes it so much better to share it with somebody. I envy your ability to fearlessly face soloness.

 

Yeah... it was yellow and I was there totally early. Kind of paranoid about traffic driving up from Irvine. I was up about 13 rows on one of the terraces. Bummer you didn't come flag me down. You could have been our concert buddy. We had two empty seats next to us the whole night. I go to quite a few shows in LA, if you ever need a concert buddy, I'm up for it

I knew I should have gone up there!

 

Ken, it was great to see you, too, and I sorely wished I'd had another pit ticket so that you could have joined us down there! Brennan's recording turned out well, by the way, and is up at dimeadozen if you have a hankering to re-hear the concert.

I will be checking that out posthaste! Thanks!

 

 

Were you there for soundcheck?

Y'know... when I read the set list at the beginning of this little thread, I wasn't paying very close attention. I saw Wishful thinking listed and thought 'Hmm. I don't remember that one. That must have been when the aisle in front of me was filled with enough people to fill the city of Monrovia and I was too distracted/bored by the song.' Well at least now I like the concert just that much more!

[Mr. Kinsley]

Oooh! Totally off topic, but the daaaang! picture from above, for those who don't know, is from the fantastic webcomic Toothpaste for Dinner. Equally as fantastic is Drew's wife's comic Natalie Dee, and the comic that they pair up to do titled Married to the Sea. Didn't feel right to use the pic without a shoutout.

[Ranglin]

yeah, the SBS debate.....in a way it brings to my mind some of Van Morrison's first records as a solo artist. Astral Weeks was his debut and an unquestionable masterpiece, long sprawling songs and a style that was very different from anything we'd heard anywhere else before. Pretty close to revolutionary. I guess one way to look at it is; if Summerteeth and YHF were Wilco's Astral Weeks...then AGIB and (especially) SBS are their Tupelo Honey and Moondance. Very fine records, though the songs are trimmed down and perhaps the production is just a bit too "done". Still, the songs are some of the best, and the albums as a whole are extremely satisfying and coherent. But it makes you wonder, how many Astral Weeks could Van have done if the powers that be hadn't been intent on making him a hitmaker? (not that it really matters...)

 

Dunno. Jm2c and keep the change.

 

Well said. I think it's an example of maybe not going back to the roots, but a band settling in, not really taking great risks, but making a solid album. Impossible German may be the best ever, and live! Oh yeah....And did someone say they didn't think Tweedy has much to say on this? Really? Are listening to the lyrics? Maybe the words are a little more straight forward but this album is filled with heart and soul. It's just another step forward in a stellar career!